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12-14-2008, 07:11 AM
Packers cling to playoff hopes; Jaguars aim for strong finish
Associated Press
A three-game losing streak has complicated the Green Bay Packers' postseason aspirations. Losing four straight games has eliminated the Jacksonville Jaguars from playoff contention.
The Packers (5-8) and Jaguars (4-9) enter their Sunday meeting in Jacksonville in vastly different positions than last season, when they were playoff contenders. The Packers finished 13-3 en route to winning the NFC North title before falling in the NFC Championship Game to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants, while the Jaguars went 11-5 and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC Wild-Card Game prior to losing to the New England Patriots in the divisional playoffs.
Jacksonville lost for the sixth time in its last seven games last Sunday, 23-10 at Chicago. That same day, Green Bay was defeated for the fifth time in its last six contests, 24-21 at home by the Houston Texans.
"It's time to fight, and I'm not talking about when a guy is blocking late after the whistle," coach Mike McCarthy told the Packers' official Web site. "It's time to fight our way out of this hole that we created. We're in this position for a reason, and it's time to fight in every aspect of our play."
Green Bay has a chance to keep its slim postseason hopes alive. The Packers sit third in the NFC North -- three games back of first-place Minnesota and two behind Chicago, which it visits on Dec. 22. They need to win their final three contests and have the Vikings lose their last three, and they'd also need to defeat the Bears and have them lose one of their other two remaining games.
With those scenarios in mind, the Packers will try to focus on preventing their first four-game losing streak since Sept. 11-Oct. 3, 2005. They'll also look to bounce back from their fifth defeat in games that have been decided by five points or fewer.
For the second straight week, Green Bay rallied from a halftime deficit, only to allow the decisive scoring drive in the last two minutes. After a long kickoff return set up the go-ahead touchdown for the Carolina Panthers on Nov. 30, the Packers watched the Texans march down the field to set up the winning field goal as time expired.
"It's been a similar script in a number of our losses," said Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was 19-of-30 passing for 295 yards and two touchdowns last week. "We start slow, then wait for somebody to make a play -- then somebody does, and we go on a run, and we get close and we don't finish it off."
Rodgers has completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 1,068 yards and nine touchdowns with six interceptions in his last four games.
Green Bay surrendered 549 total yards against Houston -- its most since allowing 552 on Oct. 17, 1983. The 408 passing yards allowed were the most since Nov. 4, 1990 (411).
The Packers, though, are facing a Jaguars passing offense that's averaging just 205.5 yards behind David Garrard. The seventh-year pro was 19-of-38 passing for 178 yards against Chicago, connecting with running back Maurice Jones-Drew for his lone touchdown pass of the game.
Jones-Drew had seven catches for 47 yards and also rushed 12 times for 55 yards, while Fred Taylor had 13 carries for 53 yards. Jones-Drew leads the team with 607 rushing yards, and Taylor, who's out for the season with a thumb injury, is second with 556.
Even without Taylor, the Jaguars might have to rely more on the running game as leading wide receiver Matt Jones will sit out the final three games of the season to serve a suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. Jones -- who has 65 catches for a career-best 761 yards and two touchdowns -- received the punishment in October and appealed, but the NFL upheld the suspension Tuesday.
The Jaguars hope to avoid their first five-game slide since Sept. 30-Nov. 4, 2001, but they have lost four straight at home to fall to 1-5 at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.
These teams have met three times, with the visitor winning each contest. Green Bay has won twice in Jacksonville, and the Jaguars posted a 28-25 victory at Lambeau Field on Dec. 19, 2004, in the most recent matchup.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Associated Press
A three-game losing streak has complicated the Green Bay Packers' postseason aspirations. Losing four straight games has eliminated the Jacksonville Jaguars from playoff contention.
The Packers (5-8) and Jaguars (4-9) enter their Sunday meeting in Jacksonville in vastly different positions than last season, when they were playoff contenders. The Packers finished 13-3 en route to winning the NFC North title before falling in the NFC Championship Game to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants, while the Jaguars went 11-5 and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC Wild-Card Game prior to losing to the New England Patriots in the divisional playoffs.
Jacksonville lost for the sixth time in its last seven games last Sunday, 23-10 at Chicago. That same day, Green Bay was defeated for the fifth time in its last six contests, 24-21 at home by the Houston Texans.
"It's time to fight, and I'm not talking about when a guy is blocking late after the whistle," coach Mike McCarthy told the Packers' official Web site. "It's time to fight our way out of this hole that we created. We're in this position for a reason, and it's time to fight in every aspect of our play."
Green Bay has a chance to keep its slim postseason hopes alive. The Packers sit third in the NFC North -- three games back of first-place Minnesota and two behind Chicago, which it visits on Dec. 22. They need to win their final three contests and have the Vikings lose their last three, and they'd also need to defeat the Bears and have them lose one of their other two remaining games.
With those scenarios in mind, the Packers will try to focus on preventing their first four-game losing streak since Sept. 11-Oct. 3, 2005. They'll also look to bounce back from their fifth defeat in games that have been decided by five points or fewer.
For the second straight week, Green Bay rallied from a halftime deficit, only to allow the decisive scoring drive in the last two minutes. After a long kickoff return set up the go-ahead touchdown for the Carolina Panthers on Nov. 30, the Packers watched the Texans march down the field to set up the winning field goal as time expired.
"It's been a similar script in a number of our losses," said Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was 19-of-30 passing for 295 yards and two touchdowns last week. "We start slow, then wait for somebody to make a play -- then somebody does, and we go on a run, and we get close and we don't finish it off."
Rodgers has completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 1,068 yards and nine touchdowns with six interceptions in his last four games.
Green Bay surrendered 549 total yards against Houston -- its most since allowing 552 on Oct. 17, 1983. The 408 passing yards allowed were the most since Nov. 4, 1990 (411).
The Packers, though, are facing a Jaguars passing offense that's averaging just 205.5 yards behind David Garrard. The seventh-year pro was 19-of-38 passing for 178 yards against Chicago, connecting with running back Maurice Jones-Drew for his lone touchdown pass of the game.
Jones-Drew had seven catches for 47 yards and also rushed 12 times for 55 yards, while Fred Taylor had 13 carries for 53 yards. Jones-Drew leads the team with 607 rushing yards, and Taylor, who's out for the season with a thumb injury, is second with 556.
Even without Taylor, the Jaguars might have to rely more on the running game as leading wide receiver Matt Jones will sit out the final three games of the season to serve a suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. Jones -- who has 65 catches for a career-best 761 yards and two touchdowns -- received the punishment in October and appealed, but the NFL upheld the suspension Tuesday.
The Jaguars hope to avoid their first five-game slide since Sept. 30-Nov. 4, 2001, but they have lost four straight at home to fall to 1-5 at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.
These teams have met three times, with the visitor winning each contest. Green Bay has won twice in Jacksonville, and the Jaguars posted a 28-25 victory at Lambeau Field on Dec. 19, 2004, in the most recent matchup.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press